ERJ4黃怡慈

English Reading Journal 4
Old Mali And The Boy
Author: D. R. Sherman
Retold by: John Mline
Publishing Company: Heinemann Guided Readers
Year of publishing: 1992
Word Level: Intermediate (1600 words)
Number of pages: 80

A English boy who lived in a village in the hills in the north

of India was called Jeffery and he was twelve years old. His

father was dead and his mother was a teacher in the village

elementary schoool. Old Meli was the servant worked in the

garden of Jeffrey's home. Old Meli has looked after Jeffrey

ever since his father died. Although Meli was a servant, Jeffery

seen him as his friend who could tell many exicting story when

he was young huntung in the jungle. In the story, it just disclosed

one of those stories which was important to continue the whole

novel. Meli told the experience he had, when he faced the fierce

bear in the jungle. He killed the bear which has caught by the trap

with his bow and arrow, it was the same situation he had confronted

with at the end of the story.
Jeffrey pursuaded his mother and Meli to take him to the jungle.

Meli promised to take Jeffrey back home within three days, so

Jeffrey's mother agreed the journey. After one and a half days past,

they didn't found any deers. Meli dicided to turn back home, even

though seeing how reluctant Jeffrey was. The worse situation was

happened when Jeffrey intended to shoot monkey replaced the

unfounded deers, all bad luck things appeared. Meli was caught by a

very old trap which was might be abandoned for a long time. Because

of the serious pain Meli had got, he died at the end of the story.
In the story, I saw many practical methods to take a travel in the forest,

included how to keep away the wild animals. Jeffrey was a boy like all

many people. He wanted to try anything that was fresh to him, but never

did he think the result of what he would happen. He was very regreted

when he found what he had done caused Meli wound and even die.

People always oversated ourselves. It's true that we should have the

confidence of ourselves, but it was wrongto do things without thinking the

result.
There was a question that I could not figure out. What was theshining

holiday? In the story, Jeffrey got a holiday when it was still shining at nine

o'clock in the morning. What was that? And why could he got a holiday?
I think it was very useful to use the Glossary in the last pages of the

novel. When I could not understand a word, I can guess the word's meaning

through the text and then check the Glossary to make sure whether it is

correct or not. Take kukri for example, I guessit means a knife and check it

in the Glossary which is written "a long, sharp, curved knife". Through this

way I can learn mroe words even if it is not English.

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